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Model 3

O.K. First off, YAY my first post ;D. I am so glad that a Tesla forum exists!

I am sure that most of you already know that tesla will be producing a car in the 30,000 dollar price range a few years after they put their sport sedan "WhiteStar" on the market. So far, Tesla hasn't given us any hints as to what the body style of the car will be. I have created this thread for people to post their ideas on what they think the car should be. All unique ideas are appreciated!

Here is my contribution:

I think that is would be awesome if Tesla produced a car reminsent of the GM Ev1. By then (when the car comes out) we might have battery tech that would allow the car to go 400 miles to a charge. Maybe the headlights could be the same as the roadster (I find that car companies usualy make their headlights distinctive from other companies to help distinguish their models), but most of te features of the car could be updated versions of what existed 10 years ago : Ex. aerodynamic body shape, keypad entry, digital speedometer ect.

Big difference is, the EV1 was a two-seater. The mass market demands a four-door car.

I think they need to work hard on aerodynamics. The EV1 had lowest aerodynamic drag of any production car in history. A few others have come close, even the Tatra T77 made in 1934 came close. It's not that hard, but for most car companies aerodynamics is an afterthought. (Or a non-thought. Look at the Scion xB!)

If you want long driving range, aerodynamics is most important. Drag increases very much with speed -- so the most gain is when you are driving at higher speeds, which means you are probably out on the highway taking a long trip. And that's exactly when you need the most range, isn't it?

But realy, I think that Tesla has done a good job compromising minimised drag and styling. I believe that the drag coeficcent for the Roadster is 0.3 . This is 0.11 greater then the Ev1, but it is still pretty good when taking the styling of the car into consideration. I mean, I may be a overacting a little bit when I say this, but I think that the Roadster is the most beautiful car that I have ever seen (seriously). A least from the exterior. If i was on the design team, i would like to create a high-tech interior to compliment its advanced propulsion technology.

Back to model 3. Ok I think that a sedan sounds a little more plausible, but i still think that good aerodynamics are of paramount importance .

When your thinking about a sports car like the tesla roadster you need to take into consideration that it needs some downforce which creates drag. You need a good mix of downforce and drag. Too much downforce slows down the car and causes drag. But lack of it is not good for cornering at high speeds. The faster a car the more downforce it will need. The caparo T1, www.caparo-t1.com , has twice the hp/tonne i believe then a buggati veyron but has a lower top speed. I believe this is becasue of the downforce that slows it down but on a track the downforce helps handling allowing the car to pull high g's so much so that it can drive upside down in a tunnel at the right speed.

I really love what I've been reading about Tesla and the Roadster especially, I love its looks, its performance and its range, and especially that its electric. But like most people its way out of my price range, so I'll have to wait for another model.

The Whitestar sounds nice, good acceleration and nice range at a price I can afford, but its not a sports car, its a sedan. And I don't want a sedan, I don't need a large car with 4 seats, that drives like a boat, the only times I really would want a larger car is when I'm going to the mountains with my skis or a mountain bike on the roof, and this car wont have the range for that.

So I'm stuck waiting for model 3. I just hope it follows Tesla's basic premise that an electric car doesn't need to be a box on wheels it can look sharp, have good acceleration and handling, and most of all be fun to drive. I would love if it was a low end sports car like the miata, or BMW Z4, but thats probably too close a low end version of the Roadster, they will probably want to hit a different market.

Guess I shouldn't hold my breath waiting, and hoping it will be what I want.

rph, I promise you that WhiteStar will not handle like a boat! Anyone who knows Martin and his crew know that performance is a critical function of any car that Tesla makes. Just check out some of Dave Vespremi's blogs on the Tesla website. Do you think that the Tesla engineers would be happy going from test driving the Roadster to test driving a boat? No. Not those people. They like cars, and they like to drive.

Also, do not forget that the WhiteStar will be my daily drive which means that Martin will be driving it when we load the kids up and go somewhere. How do you think he would respond moving from his Roadster to a "boat" that his wife is stuck driving? The answer is -- he won't. Also, Elon has kids, so I am guessing that he will have a WhiteStar in his driveway too, and Elon will not put up with a compromise in handling anymore that Martin would.

The model and images of WhiteStar that I have seen are of a very sleek and elegant automobile. There is definitely no rudder on the back! Please do not make any decisions not to buy the WhiteStar until you have seen it. Keep an open mind is all I ask.

I wonder if a vechicle that rides very comfortably can really also be a very capable handling car? Is it possible to get both without compromising both?

The only way that I've read about, where both are possible without compromise, is if an Active Suspension is involved. I wanted to suggest this since I've been aware that Bose has developed a very light weight suspension system that also requires minimal power. Although I would imagine that this would not be an inexpensive option, I strongly believe that if it were offered as an option, you might have a significant number of people willing to opt for the expense. Just imagine the possibilities of being able to dial in whatever type of ride support you want.

I wonder if a vehicle that rides very comfortably can really also be a very capable handling car?

Click to expand...

Yes!, but it is harder to get it right.
Using overly stiff springs is the easy way to crisp handling but you sacrifice ride comfort.
With proper tuning you can make a great handling car even with softer springs that can absorb the bumps better.

Also, short wheelbase gives a car a small turning circle and quick response but then you have unpleasant high speed oscillations (car tilts back and forth over bumps).
Longer wheelbase with less overhangs makes for a more comfortable freeway ride. They can get small turning circles back with tricks like rear wheel steering.

Double A-arms instead of struts is a good start. Low center of mass is also key. Careful tuning of springs rates and shock absorber characteristics can make a world of difference.
Tesla is working with Lotus and Lotus are masters of suspension tuning, so they no doubt are doing the best they can.

I thought I would bring one of the old BlueStar predictions to the top of the forum. Back nine years we were talking about hopefully having a "keypad entry, digital speedometer" "air conditioning, 0-60 in 7.9sec..." for a 2016 release. Fortunately us guys will not get our hopes and dreams.